Inhumane Book One: Into The Woods
by LOvELeSsAfFAiRs
Summary: Clar·ke ['klaŕk] noun. an Omega [ōˈmāɡə] noun. (lowest ranking in a pack) Werewolf ['werˈwo olf] noun. (a human capable of assuming the form of a wolf while retaining human intelligence) with a quiet confidence that screams loud. She is humble but strong, stable but rebellious, giving but not naive, and chooses her battles wisely. She'll stay silent until it's time to fight...
1. Chapter 1

Clar **·** ke ['klaŕk] _noun._ an Omega [ōˈmāɡə] _noun._ (lowest ranking in a pack) Werewolf ['werˈwo͝olf] _noun._ (a human capable of assuming the form of a wolf while retaining human intelligence) with a quiet confidence that screams loud. She is humble but strong, stable but rebellious, giving but not naive, and chooses her battles wisely. She'll stay silent until it's time to fight, and when that time comes: fight, she does.

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 **The 100: Inhumane**

 **Book One: Into The Woods**

 **Chapter One: Rough Landings**

 _Created By_

 _ClexaWarrior2018_

Clarke blearily opened her eyes, her head pounding as a small groan slipped past her lips. The darkness of her drowsiness slowly ebbed away from the corners of her vision, forcing the muffled parts of her brain to start sorting themselves out. Without warning, her body was suddenly jolted forward only to be viciously slammed back against her seat a second later, making the back of her head collide harshly with the metal of the wall behind her.

Other gasps of pain and surprise sounded from all around her, and somewhere beneath the metal under her feet she could hear a muffled yelp slice through the air. The blonde lifted her head, her gaze dragging across her surroundings frantically as she tried to ignore the now throbbing part of her skull, knowing that the tender flesh would probably bruise over later but not entirely able to make herself care at the moment.

She was in a dropship, with other teens her age surrounding her on all sides. Each one of them were strapped into their seats, and some were even pressed up against the walls in a tight press for space. Shaking off her newfound headache, Clarke tilted her chin upwards, parting her lips and curling her tongue to taste the air so that she could capture the various scents wafting throughout the enclosure.

The blonde immediately gagged as an overwhelming wave of fear scent filled her nostrils: thick, musky and tainted with a vivid trace of _many_ Alpha pheromones. It was _everywhere_ \- the thick aroma making her feel lightheaded and her tongue heavy. She huffed hastily, blowing the smells away and running her tongue along the sides of her teeth to rid her mouth of the raw flavors. But there were also hints of other aromas.

Almost absentmindedly, she could make out the bittersweet tang of adrenaline and excitement - the almost absent tinge of sweat and wet fur mingling in with other tastes as well. Somewhere in another part of the dropship, the faint scent of curdling vomit and spittle reached her senses. The bridge of her nose crinkled in disdain, though she couldn't really blame the poor person for losing their rations when they were currently being tossed around like rag dolls.

"Clarke!" Ears pricking, the blonde whipped her head to the side at the sound of the voice. She'd recognize that soothing timbre anywhere. Her chin tilted upwards reflexively, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air once more, trying to locate - "Clarke! Over here, Clarke!" Almost immediately, as if her eyes were trained to do so, her gaze locked onto the person she'd been looking for. Octavia Blake.

Her first instinct was to surge out of her seat and run into the safety of her friend's arms, but the belt buckles dug into her chest and chafed against her wrist, forcing her to do the only thing she could and return the shout. "Octavia!" The brunette sent a smile her way, her eyes glowing as they locked with Clarke's. The blonde could see the fear in them though, and as the dropship rattled and shook around them, she couldn't stop the fearful yelp that passed her lips.

Not even a split second later, the sweet aroma of Octavia's Beta scent washed over her, the younger girl's instincts driving her to calm her fearful friend. Her muscles immediately relaxed and her breathing evened out at the aroma. Everyone's scent held a hint of cold metal and stagnant air, a side affect of their time spent in space, but underneath the bitter and dank layer of fragrance lied their natural scent.

Octavia smelt like the Eden Tree, with the sweet tang of its leaves and the musky undertone of the soil held inside its small pot. The brunette's scent was the only one that smelled of even the barest hint of earth, and that factor alone had made hiding her extremely difficult. Born a second child, Octavia had been hidden under her room's metal floorboards for sixteen years, until she'd been caught while at the Unity Day Masquerade Party.

Her mother had been floated, and she'd been thrown into the Skybox while Bellamy, her older brother, had been stripped of his rank as a Guard. It just so happened that the cell Octavia had been thrown into was the one right next to Clarke's, even though the blonde's cell had been number 3.1.9 and the brunette's had been 1.6.7. Apparently, the Skybox's numbering system was made so that it only made sense to the Guards.

They'd talked through the vents in the walls, and even though they couldn't see each other, they'd quickly become friends. When she'd run out of her cell the moment the Guards had tried to put the wristband on her, that's when she'd first spotted Octavia. The two had been completely at loss for words, before they'd both embraced in what could only be described as a suffocating hug. Then her mom had showed up, she'd been tranquilized, and well - now she was here.

All around her, the other Betas in the dropship were following the brunette's lead, pumping out their own calming pheromones in waves. Immediately, everyone slowly started to calm down, their fears quelled by the soothing aromas of the Betas around them. She wished she could do the same, but releasing even the barest hint of her scent would immediately reveal her as an Omega, and she'd heard enough stories from the Ark to know what happened to unmated Omegas.

Besides, an Omega's calming scent wasn't nearly as effective as a Beta's. With that thought in mind, Clarke tugged at the straps criss-crossing across her chest anxiously, her instincts keening at her to just roll into a ball and _hide._ She couldn't though, not with how securely she was buckled into her seat. And even if she weren't, she wasn't going to hide anymore, be her a damned Omega or not. She'd just spent a _year_ locked away in a steel cage.

She wasn't going anywhere.

"What the hell was that?!" A boy's voice called out as another shudder shook the whole dropship, the sudden sound of metal peeling off of metal making everyone wince. Even though the question wasn't directed at her, she yelled out in reply. "We're gonna breech the atmosphere soon!" She squeezed her eyes shut, another explosion making her ears pulse. When she looked up, everyone was staring at her, some with fear in their eyes and some unnaturally calm.

Either way, they were all waiting for her to say more.

Her skin prickled at the unusual feeling of having everyone's attention on her. Being an Omega didn't give her a lot of opportunities for it, but the mixed scents of everyone around her masked her own, and the Alpha aroma of her mother from when she'd hugged her still lingered on her skin, so anyone who _could_ smell her probably thought she was an Alpha. She tugged on the straps overlapping her chest nervously.

Gathering her courage, she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear her. "Everything on this ship is over a hundred years old, when we hit the atmosphere, we just gotta give it some time to settle." There were a few nods at her words, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Octavia flashing her a proud smile, the Beta still releasing her calming pheromones as the majority of the delinquents had started to calm down.

She took in a deep breath, hoping that she was right. Suddenly, the screens around them flickered to life. Thelonious appeared on them, standing tall as everyone's attention was glued to at least one of the TV's. "Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now." Even though the man wasn't there, Clarke could almost smell the Chancellor's Alpha scent wafting off of him in thick wisps, and the low grows of the Alphas around her told her that she wasn't the only one.

"You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you but a chance for _all_ of us - indeed for mankind itself." She shifted in her seat at the man's words, her skin prickling and crawling. The hair on the back of her neck shot up like hackles, her senses immediately alert. Slowly craning her neck around, she tilted her chin towards the ceiling of the dropship, locking gazes with more than a few pairs of eyes.

They were watching her, nostrils flaring and lips parted as they attempted to taste the air around her - to find her scent. Her mind flitted back towards the memory of her mother being allowed entrance into her cell once month to inject a special serum into her bloodstream: a suppressant, advanced in not only restricting her heat from surfacing but from masking her naturally sweet Omega fragrance as well.

With the chemicals still in her body from her last dosage, added in with the scent of her mother still clinging onto her clothes, she knew they wouldn't be able to smell anything, but her nerves were still on edge. _Why are they looking at me like that though?_ Then it clicked. Alphas were naturally dominant, something she'd learned very early on, which was why every Alpha around her was currently snarling at the flickering image of Jaha.

They weren't staring at her because she smelled like an Omega, they were staring at her because she smelled like an _Alpha_ and wasn't acting like it. If she wanted to sell her lie, she would have to start challenging the Chancellor like everyone else. _But I'm not an Alpha._ She was an Omega by blood, they would figure that out when her suppressants wore off, better to take her chances now rather than lie and possibly piss them all off later.

For know, she would just have to accept them seeing her as an unnaturally docile Alpha. "We have no idea what is waiting for you down there," She almost snorted. Comforting. Everyone around her sneered at the words, though the Betas were more calm about it. She didn't bother trying to sniff out any other Omegas since they were probably on their own suppressants and their scents would be almost completely stale.

And even if they weren't, their best bet would be to _not_ participate in the shows of anger, since if they did they'd have to risk releasing their pheromones. No, better to not let anyone know of their dynamic yet: the safer choice for everyone. The Alpha's didn't hold back their anger though, and some made a show by straining against their buckles, as if trying to reach the screen so they could clobber the flickering image of the Alpha Chancellor.

She looked around, watching the faces of the other delinquents around her. Some actually looked bored, others more concerned about the continuous rattling that was still going on outside of the dropship walls. The rest though, were all gathered in barking and growling at the various screens attached to the metal walls. A particular Alpha caught her eye, the bridge of his nose crinkled in a vicious growl and his eyes blazing.

He bared his teeth, and for a second, she caught the flash of his slowly elongating fangs. Dread consumed her at the sight. If any of them shifted while still strapped in this metal coffin - which was still crashing through the earth's atmosphere, nonetheless - they'd all be dead long before they reached the ground. "Shit." She muttered under her breath, eyes darting around the enclosure as she tried to think of a solution.

The boy was now shaking, his knuckles white as they clenched and unclenched around the buckles holding him down. With every second that passed his growls were beginning to sound more animalistic, and a few of the other teenagers around him were starting to notice too. The excess growling started dying down as more and more people started taking notice of the borderline shifting boy, all of them holding their breath.

She watched helplessly as he squeezed his eyes shut, reaching up to cradle his head in his hands as he let out a deafening roar of pain. His Alpha pheromones shot out of every pore on his body - a warning, a _challenge_ \- and it was affecting them all. The other Alphas in the room were now all focused on the boy, their inner Alphas bristling at the idea of a good fight. They all started snarling lowly, rising to the challenge.

Clarke watched in horror as even a few Betas started drowning in the amount of pheromones being released, slowly but surely succumbing to their own instincts. Savage barks and growls suddenly sounded from all around her, and the blonde pushed herself against the back of her seat as a girl across from her - a young Alpha, no doubt - started shaking too, her eyes burning with a quiet rage.

 _No no no no no no - this can't be happening!_ She was desperate for something - _anything_ \- to keep them from all shifting. In a small enclosure like this, even _she_ would be forced to shift, alongside every other Omega currently in the dropship. The havoc would quickly turn from a malicious fight into a Hunt once all the Omegas were revealed, and they'd be torn to shreds in the midsts of it all. It would be chaotic.

More and more people around her started shaking, and the boy who'd started it all was already showing the first telltale signs of his shift. Fur was sprouting out from beneath his wrist and behind his ears, while wicked long fangs and claws had already started to make themselves known. At the rate at which he was shifting though, he was obviously fighting the transformation, since normally the whole shift only took a few seconds.

The person sitting next to her flinched, their breathing becoming obviously erratic. She realized it was because they were probably already so on edge from everything that was happening around them. She turned her head to look at the person sitting next to her, about to reassure them, before she froze. She went rigid as she took in the features of the boy staring back at her, frigid azure irises locked with soft chocolate brown ones.

Wells stared back at her, his knuckles almost white as he gripped the straps overlapping his body, his pores releasing a faint fear scent. It was only the sound of a particularly vicious snarl that snapped her out of her stupor. Everything came crashing down onto her. Her friendship with him, his smile, his laugh, his humor - his _betrayal._ Images flashed before her mind's eye, memories of him and her and then both of them - memories of her father.

She felt hot tears prick at the corners of her eyes at the thought. _A soft smile, a_ proud _smile, bright against glowing eyes filled with tears and then..._ Anger, _red hot_ _anger_ \- throbbed inside of her chest as she fought against the memory, but it crashed down on her like a wave, drowning her. _A split second of starry darkness, a soundless scream, and then nothing. Nothing but darkness and death._ That was it - the last straw.

Clarke _snapped._

The blonde _lunged_ at him, her entire body lighting up with fury as the loudest snarl to be let loose from _anyone_ in the dropship so far slipped past her lips. The sound was so loud she swore her eardrums popped. Then again, that could've been because they'd finally hit the earth's atmosphere. Either way, she found she didn't very much care at the moment, the only thing she was focused on was Wells.

The commotion caused some heads to turn their way, even going so far as to silence a handful of the Alphas who'd been answering the shifting boy's challenge. Wells jerked back from his seat as he spoke to her softly, trying to make himself seem smaller and calm her down, but she was _furious_. She snapped at him, the bridge of her nose crinkling and her eyes blazing. Ignoring the importance of keeping her dynamic a secret, she started smothering him with her pheromones.

She could tell by the way that he gagged that he could _taste_ the anger and hate in her scent, and deep down, some part of her felt _pleased_ \- the wolf part. She didn't realized she'd called onto her wolf until she felt her there, just under the surface of her skin, having loyally answered her beckoning. The presence of the beast loomed over her, comforting and warm, like a protective shield.

Clarke didn't start panicking until she felt her wolf start to take over. She winced as her teeth cracked and split, allowing larger fangs to peek through her gums and take their place. A numb sensation spread throughout her body as she started feeling herself transform, every vein and blood vessel singing to be let free and to run wild. She fought against it though. She couldn't shift - not like this - if she did, then they would know.

At that moment, her secret of being an Omega was quickly forgotten. There was something bigger - _more important_ \- that she had to hide. She had to control her wolf, because if she didn't… She tried to shake her head, a whine escaping her lips. No, she couldn't think about that. _They can't know!_ She wouldn't let them. Grasping at any and every sliver of self control left in her body, she latched onto the presence of her wolf, and _pulled._

She could feel the beast bristle and thrash against her grip, fighting to be set free, but she only tightened her hold. Suddenly, a wave of something crashed over her, filling her lungs and clearing the haze in her head. It registered a second later that it was a calming scent - _Octavia's_ calming scent. _Thank god I have you as a friend._ Clarke thought, silently praising the brunette for being the best friend ever.

The Beta's pheromones washed over her like a soothing river, calming the fire in her veins and making her wolf fall limp. From there on, it was easy to finish reeling in the rest of the beast, successfully containing it. Once her inner animal was fully docile, the blonde looked up groggily, her head a little light from the amount of exertion she'd just put herself through. The hazy figure of Octavia filled her vision, before the image sharpened along with her vision.

"Clarke! Clarke are you okay?! _Clarke!"_ Forcing herself to sit straight, the youngest Griffin just nodded at her friend, trying to radiant some semblance of composure. "I'm okay." Even _she_ didn't believe herself, but she forced more words out of her sore throat. "It's fine _\- I'm_ fine. Thanks O." She could tell the young Blake didn't believe her, but she seemed to relax slightly at the sound of Clarke using her nickname.

She looked around, noticing more than a few pairs of eyes on her, watching her. She almost flinched at the number of gazes locked onto her with, but instead furrowed her brows in confusion when she saw the look in their eyes. _Awe. They're looking at me with awe._ Why, though? She'd almost _shifted_ and _killed_ someone, that wasn't something to be awestruck by, even if her victim had deserved what he'd gotten.

Thinking about Wells though, only served to remind her of the boy who'd started the whole fiasco. She whipped her head to the side, craning her neck as she tried to get a view of the shifting boy. There were beads of sweat tumbling down his skin, his whole body practically vibrating nonstop as his chest started to cave and snap, before the bones reformed into something bigger, snapping one of the straps criss-crossing over his chest.

Right as he was about to fully unleash his wolf, an idea struck her. _He needs to calm down._ The transformation could be triggered by vast amounts of any emotion, rage most commonly, but could be reversed if the assailant was soothed - also known as being brought down from their high. And who'd just proven they could calm people down in the most quick and efficient way? The young Griffin whipped her head to the side, spotting her brunette friend almost immediately.

"Octavia!" The youngest Blake perked up at the sound of her friend's voice, turning her gaze to lock with that of the blonde's. Clarke could tell she was scared: her eyes were wide and frenzied, though she was holding herself together better than most others around her, and her own body was shaky slightly, fighting against the pheromones around her that were urging her own wolf to surface and fight. Despite that, she was concerned, for _Clarke._

 _Probably thinks she's gonna have to stop me from shifting again._ The thought made her stomach turn, guilt broiling inside of her veins, but she shoved the feeling away. There were more urgent matters to be tended to. "Calm him down!" She jerked her head in the shifting boy's direction, noticing out of the corner of her eye that his face had broken and snapped, flesh falling and peeling down his chin as his nose slowly started to reform into a snout.

The brunette cocked her head to the side, confused - her mind not working right due to all the frenzy around her. "Use your calming pheromones like you did for me! Calm him down - calm them _all_ down!" She saw the exact moment when the words and their meaning clicked inside Octavia's head. Her eyes went wide, bright and glowing, before she flashed the blonde a grin. "Quick thinking Griffin!" She shouted, before turning towards her target.

Octavia grit her teeth, no doubt from the effort of trying to force through the wall of pheromones surrounding her with her own. The small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth though, told her she'd succeeded. The boy doubled over while in a halfling faze, a few parts of him wolfish and the rest still fairly human. She could tell Octavia's calming pheromones were surrounding him as his shoulders sagged, the lines on his face evening out as his ragged breathing lessened.

The blonde had made her words loud enough for everyone to hear, and soon enough the other Betas were all working together as one unit to calm the entirety of the delinquents down. Turning back to watch her friend's progress, the blonde winced as she watched the nameless boy start shifting back into his original form. His half formed muzzle shrunk into a crude nose, the rest of his transformed body parts rebuilding themselves until he was normal again.

When the process was done, he groaned in exhausted, looking half dead on his feet. He turned towards the Beta who'd soothed him, smiling crookedly. "Thanks." He rasped lowly, the shift having taken most of his energy. Octavia was struggling not to pant from the exertion she'd just forced upon her own body, her pheromones slowly disappearing from the air in thin tendrils. She sat up straighter as he addressed her, before shrugging and looking away.

The brunette nodded in Clarke's direction. "Don't thank me, it was _her_ idea." The blonde froze as the boy turned his neck to give her a lookover. For a split second, his brows furrowed in confusion, his nostrils flaring, before he dipped his head in the youngest Griffin's directions. "Thank you." He said again, before turning away for good. She barely had time to react before he did, but had managed to give him a quick dip of her head back.

She let her blue eyes scan over the rest of the teenagers in the dropship, glad to see that everyone seemed to be calming down at a steady rate. The sound of static buzzing and crackling snapped everyone out of their stupor, directing their attention towards the TV's in the dropship once more. Apparently, while they'd all been lost in their problems, the pre recording of Thelonious had glitched and paused, but was now resuming.

" - survival were better, we would've sent others. But frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you...expendable." Snarls and angry howls rose up in the air immediately at the words, and even Clarke's Omega instincts couldn't stop her from joining in with the others. Cold air hit her gums at she pulled back her top lip, baring her teeth as an unfamiliar sound tore through her throat: a low growl.

As soon as it did though, she clamped her mouth shut, clenching her jaw. Getting angry so quickly after what had just happened wasn't exactly a smart idea. They had to make sure they kept their heads before they lost them. Literally. "Stop it! Stop riling each other up - unless you actually _do_ want everyone to shift and kill each other!" Her voice was loud and strong - _commanding,_ even. It surprised even her at how much like an Alpha she sounded.

Most of the other delinquents turned to look at the blonde at the sound of her voice, taking into account her words as they shifted in their seats uneasily. With the eyes of almost everyone on her, she fought the urge to shrink away from their gazes, knowing that it would only lead to them snapping at her. Instead, she bared her teeth at them lightly, her top lip only partially peeled back as she let a low warning growl slip past her lips.

Her lungs pinched together, unused to snarling and growling so much, but she pushed forward, _needing_ to convince the others that she wasn't weak, and that she wasn't lying. An Alpha that sat a few chairs away from her growled back at her, puffing out their chest as a torrent of Alpha pheromones was thrown her way. She almost gagged, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of her neck as she fought the urge to just show her neck in submission and stop resisting.

Some part of her though - the small piece of her that had led her to snarl at Wells - flared at the thought of kneeling down to anyone, and without even thinking she snarled back at her challenger. The other delinquents watched the interaction, trying to understand where she stood. Her show of dominance didn't come with any Alpha pheromones, and yet as far as they could tell, she was acting like one. Well, for the most part at least.

She was calmer than a normal Alpha - more rational. She'd kept a cool head when most everyone else had been snarling and snapping at one another, even though she'd been one of the first few to start shifting. She'd gotten herself under control, and then she'd gotten _them_ under control. For that, they were confused, and that confusion could cause curiosity, which could be a problem for her in the future. For now though, they backed off.

Clarke released a deep breath of relief, forcing herself to not look back at Wells as her eyes locked with that of Octavia's. The Beta was looking at her with concern, her calming scent now being solely directed onto her, trying to help her compose herself. She took in a deep breath of the aroma, giving the brunette a nod of gratitude as she started to listen to Jaha along with everyone else. "Your dropsite has been chosen carefully." She almost scoffed.

Sure it had. If they were expendable, then why would the Council care where they landed? That is, if they landed at all. "Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain," Most of the prisoners around her perked up at the mention of the Mountain. It had been one of the topics they had learned about in Earth Histories. "It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain _three hundred_ people for up to _two years_."

The Chancellor's speech was cut off by some cheers. "Yeah Finn!" The blonde turned her head at the sound of the words, her blue eyes widening at the sight of a boy floating towards her, doing backflips while in midair. "Spacewalk Finn strikes again!" Another boy called out, and Clarke blinked in surprise as Octavia pumped her hand into the air and let out a cheer. By this time, she'd completely tuned out Thelonious and what he was saying.

Her attention was instead directed at the beanie wearing boy who was now floating in front of her. "Check it out," The boy stated, his eyes on Wells as he quipped at the Beta. Clarke took in a breath, Finn's Alpha scent making her nostrils sting. He smelled like cold steel and a musky undertone, but not the comforting kind, it was...unnerving. "Your dad floated me after all." Chuckles filled the dropship at his words, only working to boost Finn's confidence.

The Beta's mouth opened to speak, but Clarke beat him to it, nodding towards Finn. "You should strap in before the parachutes deploy." Brown eyes flickered towards her, roaming over her body, as if for the first time realizing that she were there. "Hey, you're the traitor who's been in solitary for a year." His scent was overwhelming as he floated closer to her, his nostrils flaring as he took in her fragrance.

She snapped at him, noticing how his orbs darkened and his smell grew huskier as he took her in. "And you aren't listening." She growled back, her mind growing fuzzy at his odor. "If you don't strap in, then when we hit the atmosphere and the parachutes release, you'll be thrown against the walls and most likely snap your spine against one." It was a stretch, and she knew it, but everyone knew her mother was a doctor, so he couldn't actually go against her words.

His jaw worked back and forth, obviously debating whether or not to listen to her or let his stupid Alpha pride lead him to his death. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few boys who had been reaching to undo their straps letting their hands fall back towards their sides, not wanting to take the risk and choosing to instead listen to her words. She almost smirked when she saw that Finn had noticed the boys' actions too, but held back.

The Alpha narrowed his eyes at her, leaning in closer to take another whiff of her scent. She froze. Her Omega instincts told her to fear the Alpha - to submit and let him do with her as he pleased so she wouldn't be hurt by disobeying him, but the wolf inside her raged at the thought of submission. She could smell the smallest hints of her own fear scent release from under her pores, and a split second before Finn could notice, a snarl sounded from behind him. "Hey!"

They both looked over to see who'd yelled, their eyes landing on Octavia as she strained against her straps, her teeth bared at the Spacewalker as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Stay the _fuck_ away from her!" The Beta warned, her once calming scent now sharp and protective. Soon enough, all the other Betas around her acted out of instinct, growling at Finn along with her. If one of them had the urge to protect, all of them had the urge to protect.

Betas had a weird connection like that. They worked together even if they had their own differences between one another - their instincts compelled them to. The shaggy haired Alpha boy bared his teeth back at them, but relented and headed back towards his seat, the Betas around him snapping at his heels along the way. Taking a deep breath, Clarke finally started to calm down.

"Are you okay?" Octavia's voice called out, and without looking she nodded in the other girl's direction. "- and finally, do _not_ take off those wristbands." The blonde caught the last of the Chancellor's words, before she was thrown back in her seat. Screams split through the air as they were thrown around inside the dropship, the only thing holding them down being the buckles that criss-crossed over their chests.

In the back of her head, Clarke wondered if Finn had made it back to his seat fast enough to strap back in. Honestly though, she found she didn't much care. A shower of sparks blew up above her head and she tucked her chin to her chest, praying that they didn't get set on fire. The ship shuddered again, the metal around them groaning loudly as the thrusters outside of the dropship burst and sputtered.

She gripped her straps tighter, her whole body shaking as the calming pheromones the Betas were releasing were quickly masked over by the pungent aroma of to many fear scents to count. Her jaw throbbed as she clenched it tighter, and her eyes were squeezed shut so tight she swore she would black out just from the effort she was putting into keeping them closed. Another few sparks bursted off to right, making her gasp.

The metal around her groaned loudly, before she was almost thrown out of her seat as she was then slammed back against her chair. Her blood thrummed against her eardrums violently, her head throbbing as she unclenched her jaw with a hiss of pain. Groans sounded all around her, and as her vision started focusing once more, it took her a second to realize that everything was still. She blinked, looking around as she tried to catch her breath.

Everyone else was doing the same, sharing looks with the people around them as they traded glances of wonderment and tried to compose themselves. Eyes searching for Octavia, she sighed in relief when she found her. They traded nods, letting the each other know that they were okay. The lights flickered as someone spoke up. "Listen," They all did, straining their ears to hear whatever the boy was trying to point out.

It took the blonde a second before she stopped trying to hear something, and realized that it was what she _couldn't_ hear that was so important. Nothing - she couldn't hear anything. The boy voiced her thoughts. "No machine hum." Everyone shared glances, some laughing. Clarke and Octavia shared a smile. For the first in her life, everything around the blonde was utterly and absolutely... _silent._

"Whoa. That's a first." She couldn't help but agree. Soon enough though, the moment was interrupted as a series of clicks rang throughout the air, and the straps holding them down to their seats unclasped. She reached down, pulling the straps away from her as she shot up and out of her seat. Head snapping upwards, she searched for Octavia, her first instinct telling her to find her way to the Beta.

She was caught off guard when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against their body. She almost growled (she was surprised that it was her new first reaction rather than cowering) before the familiar scent of her friend washed over her, making her immediately relax into the embrace. She wrapped her own arms around the younger girl, letting out a relieved breath as she gripped the brunette harder.

"Octavia." She said in almost a whisper, glad that her friend was safe. In response, the Beta nuzzled her cheek in reassurance, pulling away slightly as she flashed her a smile. They laughed, letting a little bit a distance come between their bodies, but never fully letting the other go. "I can't believe we're still alive." Octavia mumbled, looking around as Clarke nodded in agreement. Their thoughts were cut off by another's shout.

"The outer door is on the lower level! Let's go!" Eyes widening in alarm, Clarke watched as all the other delinquents rushed to reach the lowest level of the dropship. "No! We can't just open the doors!" She rushed after them, only a few sparing her a glance but none actually listening to her. Octavia was right behind her, silently agreeing with the blonde. They'd crashed down in a giant metal coffin, what if something had seen them and was waiting for them just outside?

Gripping the metal railing, the blonde quickly made her way down the latter, a voice catching her attention as she made her descent. "Hey, just back it up guys! Back it up!" Finally off of the latter and too focused on stopping the others from opening the dropship door and possibly killing them all, the Omega missed the way Octavia stiffened next to her at the raspy yet smooth words. She pushed her way past the crowd, mouth parted to speak, but Octavia beat her to it. "Bellamy?"

Clarke stiffened.

While up in the Skybox, one of the first things Clarke had managed to get Octavia to talk about was her family, more specifically: her brother. She would go on and on about him and how he'd practically raised her, retelling stories of how he'd play games with her to keep her occupied, or about the time he'd traded his rations in for money to buy her a doll. She hadn't actually told the blonde his name until after a month though, fearing that she would tell others about him.

After reassuring the younger girl that she wouldn't tell anyone (and that she couldn't even if she wanted to - she was in _solitary_ ), Octavia had finally revealed his name: Bellamy. That's when the two had really started to trust each other, and friendly conversations soon turned into sharing secrets and telling their dreams to one another. In the time span of a couple months they knew more about the other than anyone else - they were best friends.

The only thing left to share, had been what they looked like. Now though, that wasn't a problem. For the first time ever they could put a face to the name, and now with being able to talk to each other without a wall between them, they were more like sisters than friends. Clarke had never known what it was like to have a sibling before, but now she did, because of Octavia, and as she looked over to the boy - no, _young man_ \- in front her, she felt nothing but respect for him.

The two embraced, speaking to each other in low whispers. The Omega almost smiled, but instead breathed in Bellamy's scent, already knowing what he was (Octavia had told her) but wanting to become familiar with it. She almost coughed though as the overpowering smell of gunpowder and bitter steel bit at the back of her throat. There was a softer undertone of something fresh and soft - most likely some of Octavia's scent that had mingled with his.

It didn't block out his dominant Alpha pheromones though.

She found her nose wrinkling at the scent, wondering how he could be related to Octavia in any way if their fragrances were so different. _Maybe it's just because they have different dynamics?_ But they were blood related, they should have _some kind_ of shared aroma. _They have different fathers!_ The blonde remembered her friend telling her about that. So if they'd each got dominant scent genes from their different dads, then of course they would smell extremely different.

Still though, there was something in Bellamy's pheromones that rubbed her the wrong way. With Finn's scent it had been more obvious - you could smell it right away, but with Octavia's brother it was different. There was a musky tint to his natural smell, something to be suspicious about. But Clarke had no proof, and even if she did, she wasn't about to ruin her best friend's reunion with the last family she had left.

"What are you wearing?" The Omega finally caught on to the sibling's conversation, her nose twitching as the brunette's pheromones quickly went from calm and happy to angry and betrayed. "A _Guard's_ uniform?" The blonde's suspicion only rose. Bellamy got kicked off the Guard when Octavia was discovered, and the uniform he wore looked a size too small for him. So why would he be wearing it? What was he up to?

"I borrowed it," The Alpha quickly reassured. "To get on the dropship." Of course he did. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on you." He spoke with a smile, but apparently Octavia missed his teasing tone, and instead took him seriously. She turned to grip Clarke's shoulder and yanked her forward so that they stood shoulder to shoulder. " _Someone,_ already is." The Beta quipped, her tone slightly bitter.

The Omega locked eyes with Bellamy, not missing the way his pupils turned sharp and unwelcoming at the sight of her. She could tell the older boy was internally bristling at the thought of someone else being near his little sister, but before he could outright attack the blonde, the brunette held him back and started pumping out her calming pheromones, trying to keep the Alpha in him docile.

His nostrils flared, but he looked away from the blonde and instead went back to gazing at his sister. He opened his mouth to say something, but Clarke missed his words as someone in the crowd behind them spoke, her ears pricking at the sound. "Hey! - that's Octavia Blake, the girl they hid under the floor!" Cruel laughter rang out at the words, but the Omega was in no way amused.

A flare of anger shot through her veins, and without even giving herself a second to hesitate, she parted her mouth and snarled loudly, the bridge of her nose crinkling in barely suppressed anger. Another growl off to her right made her falter slightly, but as her blue orbs flickered off to the side, she wasn't entirely surprised to see Bellamy also baring his teeth at the rest of the delinquents, Octavia holding him back from lunging at them.

The brunette herself also had her face twisted in anger, but being a Beta she was naturally calmer than others, so Clarke knew that she would sooner brush off the words then act on her anger. That didn't mean she was untouched by the words though, and the blonde could see the flicker of hurt that flashed across the brunette's irises before they turned both angry and annoyed. When Clarke looked away though, her eyes locked with that of the Alpha's.

His sharp eyes looked as if they were peering into her very soul, and she lightly pulled back her upper lip in warning, not knowing if the act was suppose to be judging or curious. As soon as he saw her unease though, he just huffed at her, turning back to snarl at the delinquents one last time before he gripped his sister closer to his side. "Come on," He grumbled, resting his other hand on the latch of the dropship door. "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

"Yeah, like what?" The Beta asked, seemingly genuinely curious. The Alpha boy smirked. "Like being the first person on the ground in over a hundred years." Octavia's expression at the words could only be described as ecstatic. The older of the two siblings pulled down the level with a quiet grunt, pressure panels immediately bursting at the action as the door of the dropship jerked and groaned.

The crowd of teenagers behind her all took a consecutive step backwards, low murmuring rising up to fill the silent air as everyone shuffled their feet against the metal floor, anxious to finally be able to see the ground first hand. The hatch popped free with a deafening _crack,_ before smoothly falling the rest of the way to rest against the outside ground softly. Clarke gasped as bright light stabbed at her eyes, but she didn't dare blink.

The first thing she noticed, was the smell. Hundreds - _thousands_ \- of new and unfamiliar scents crashed down upon her, making her senses kick into overdrive to try and comprehend them all. She took in a stuttering breath, the air so crisp and sweet on her tongue that she almost moaned. A light breeze brushed into the dropship, coating over her like a refreshing blanket, and for a split second she felt as weightless as a cloud.

Her ears pricked at the sound of the wind kissing the leaves of the trees looming before them, the crackle of shrubs brushing against shrubs making a shiver race down her spine. She could barely believe it when another faint sound reached her eardrums: the low, long whistle of a bird, chirping loudly while basking in the morning sun. _Wildlife, there's_ wildlife _down here!_ It all seemed too good to be real.

A flicker of movement caught the Omega's eye, and she smiled fondly as Octavia stepped forward, only stopping her footfalls when the tip of her boots were hanging off the edge of the dropship's door. The brunette turned to look over her shoulder at her, laughing as she held out her hand for Clarke to take. "C'mon." She whispered, as if the world around her would shatter if she spoke too loudly.

Without even giving herself time to think about it, the youngest Griffin took the hand of her best friend, walking forward until they stood shoulder to shoulder. They shared one sideline glance, their eyes gleaming as grins split across their lips, before they moved in sync and jumped onto the ground as one. It was official, the sound of leaves and grass crunching under her feet was Clarke's new favorite sound.

Without warning, Octavia let go of her hand and threw both of her's up into the air, tilting her head back as she _howled._ "We're _back_ bitches!" It was like a switch had been flipped. All the sudden, all the delinquents clustered inside the dropship behind them whooped and yelled before then pouring out of the metal structure with the force of a tidal wave. More than a few shoulders knocked against the blonde's own, but she didn't mind.

The brunette beside her wrapped her arms around her small frame, shaking her around and trying to lift her in the air in celebration. When she found that her friend wasn't as easy to lift as she'd first thought, the young Blake instead settled on draping her arm around Clarke's shoulder, giving her a few rough squeezes of happiness every few second. She laughed. "O stop, you're not giving me enough room to _breathe._ "

"Clarke what're you talking about? We're on the _ground!_ \- you don't need to breathe to enjoy that." The Omega only rolled her eyes at her Beta friend's words. "Right, of course - undeniable logic." Octavia scoffed playfully, before she suddenly turned on her heels and enveloped someone else in a bone crushing hug. "Bellamy!" Finally able to breathe, the blue eyed criminal palmed the area the brunette had been squeezing a little too harshly.

 _Well, better him then me._

She heard a deep chuckle and turned around, smiling faintly as she watched brother and sister reunite once more. The Alpha boy pulled away from his sibling's hug, but didn't let go of her. His eyes flickered across her form, his instincts pushing him to make sure his kin was well and unarmed. He huffed in amusement. "Not so much of a little pup anymore, are you?" The young Beta punched him in the arm playfully. "And don't you forget it."

Caramel irises peeked over his sister's shoulder, landing on her figure. Their gazes locked, and for a few seconds no one said anything - no one even dared to do so much as breathe. Finally though, the older boy huffed, shaking his head before he looked up at Clarke. His gaze was different, softer - curious instead of cold and calculating. Eventually, he nodded in her directions, speaking in a slightly gravelly tone.

"And you are…?" Clarke faltered in her response. "C-clarke. Um...Griffin - Clarke Griffin." Something in her stomach turned at the way his eyes narrowed at her words, the tiniest hint of teeth glinting beneath his twitching lip. He recognized the name, she could tell. Sensing the unease quickly thickening in the air between the two, Octavia jumped back, wrapping one of her arms around her blonde friend before tugging her closer.

"O what're you doing?" Bellamy asked, his nose crinkling as he took a step back. The younger of two siblings only rolled her eyes as an answer. He gestured towards her wildly, as if she weren't even there. "She's a _Griffin._ One of the priv- " Octavia whipped her head around to shove her face right in front of Bellamy's - nose to nose - so fast that for a second the Omega feared she'd snapped her neck. Either that or given herself whiplash.

Luckily, that wasn't the case.

Unluckily, she was _pissed._

"Shut up! Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence Bell! _Don't. You. Dare._ " She was practically snarling, her teeth bared and her hands curled into fists at her sides, yet she was obviously holding herself back. "I know who she is, and honestly? - _I don't give a fuck._ She stopped being privileged the day they locked her up, just like me." The mud eyed boy looked startled at the words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Finally, he closed his mouth, a vein in his neck straining as he clenched his jaw tightly. His gaze only gave its attention to Clarke for the flicker of a heartbeat before he looked back at the Beta, his eyebrows pinching together tightly. After what felt like years, he finally spoke, his words low and muttered, but his tone seething. "People like her are the reason you were locked up." His words were cold - final. Octavia moved to retort, but he spoke again.

"People like her are the reason _mom is dead._ "

The brunette froze.

Clarke stood off to the sidelines the whole time, having moved away a few feet when Octavia had moved to defend her. The gratitude that she'd felt for her friend mere moments ago gave away to guilt. The Apha wasn't too far off. She herself wasn't part of the Council, but her mom was, and her father had been called upon for advice more times than she could count. Both of them had offered input with every trial - every execution.

Clarke had never been to a Council meeting, or offered them any input, but that didn't stop her from feeling like the blood on their hands automatically transferred onto her's just because they were related. As far as she cared, the Griffins were a family of murderers. She was pulled from her thoughts when the sound of Octavia's voice reached her ears. "No, no you're _wrong._ She had _nothing_ to do with mom's death."

There were tears in her friend's eyes, Clarke could tell, and Bellamy didn't miss the light gleam of wetness coating his sister's irises either. "O…" Her murmured weakly, reaching out to grab her, but she pulled away with a fierce strength. Glaring up at him, eyes blazing, she spat at him. "That was the Chancellor - _not her._ So you can't blame her, _promise me_ you won't blame her." Octavia was pleading now, the look in her eyes desperate.

The Omega took a step forward, reaching out for her friend with the intention of comforting the brunette, but the second she did the Beta's scent crashed down on her. She almost choked on the amount of pheromones being released by the young Blake, noticing that the girl's usual aroma of sweet citrus and musky soil wasn't even noticeable, too masked by the fragrance of fear and confusion.

In the back of her throat, the blonde let out a low whine, her breaths becoming slightly ragged as the pheromones around her started making her thoughts become muddled. She slapped a hand over her nose and mouth, trying to steady herself, but failing. Not for the first time in her life, she cursed her dynamic. Just as her knees started to buckle, the pheromones disappeared, pulled away by their creator.

Octavia wrapped an arm around her back, frantically muttering hushed apologues against the shell of her ear as she helped steady the blonde. "'Ts fine." She managed to say, her words slightly slurred. She felt herself being set down on the ground as her back pressed against something cold and hard: the side of the dropship. Blue eyes blinked open, fluttering closed at the sun that pierced at them, but then parting once more.

Clarke sighed. "I'm sorry O. I...I didn't mean for that to happen." She could feel the brunette shake her head next to her. "Nah, it's fine. I mean, it was _my_ fault, I should've remembered that you can't…" There was an awkward pause at the end of her words. They both turned to look towards Bellamy. The young Alpha was standing straight, his body stiff as his face looked strained. "You're…" His voice was husky and cracked, and he coughed.

"You're an Omega." It wasn't a question, more of a statement, and after a second of hesitation the blue eyed criminal nodded. "Yeah." Her mouth felt dry as she said that one word, her tongue poking out to quickly swipe over her chapped lips. The Blake brother growled lowly at the action. Octavia was blocking his view of her a second later - protecting her. "Stop it, stop it _right now_ Bellamy. You're not thinking straight."

She was right, he wasn't - Clarke could tell. Before she'd been locked away in the Skybox, she'd spent countless hours working in the Medway with her mother, Abigail Griffin, one of the Ark's finest and most renowned doctors. She'd treated more than a few Alphas with the same look on their faces as Bellamy wore on his now. They'd been Alphas who'd attacked Omegas, savagely raping them and claiming them without a second thought, all to satisfy their ruts.

And with every single Alpha like that she'd treated, they'd all gone free. The _Omegas_ had been blamed, for being careless and weak - for not fighting back. How could they, though? There were _laws_ against Omegas ever harming anyone, and they'd be floated either way. It was sickening. _But those laws don't apply down here._ The thought struck Clarke like a godsend. Octavia didn't have to defend her - she could fight back _herself._

She stood up on strong legs, pushing past the brunette. The Beta gasped and yelled something at her, but she ignored it. She approached the caramel eyed boy before her, trying to pass off her trembling body as shakes of anger, as if she were about to shift. The Alpha grit his teeth, obviously fighting against his baser instincts to lunge at her - to take her and make her submit so that she could bare his pups.

The thought almost made her gag.

Instead, she walked right up to him, her nose almost brushing his. Without a second thought, she called on her wolf, and almost sighed in relief when the beast answered her immediately. She let herself embrace the animal, if only slightly, to fuel her. She allowed her wolf to peel back her lips for her, feeling blood rush to her ears when the creature snarled. "This isn't the Ark, down here, I _will_ protect myself." Her voice rumbled with the wolf's presence. "You _can't touch me._ "

The words were enough to make Bellamy bristle as he bared his own fangs, but she knew he could see her wolf in the blazing pulse of blue that tinted her irises, and something inside of him - his own beast, probably - beckoned him to back down. He did so begrudgingly, his brown eyes burning with a dark anger, before he tore them away from her gaze, instead letting his sight dart down to the ground.

His next action was barely noticeable - barely there at all actually, she could've ignored it if she wanted to - but it took her breath away. Painstakingly slowly, as if he were _fighting_ against it - and he probably was - Bellamy tilted his head to the side, his chin pointing towards the ground in the slightest of bows she'd ever seen. A dreadful sense of realization crashed down on her like a bucket of ice cold water.

He'd just submitted.

Behind her, she could hear Octavia making small gasping sounds, probably trying to form words but unable to. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few of the other delinquents around them staring, some surprised and some confused, a handful of the more questionable ones even had their eyes narrowed in suspicion. Clarke took a step back, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides.

 _Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit dammitdammitdammit!_ Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a ready excuse, but she knew any lie she came up with wouldn't be believable. Hell, the _truth_ was even hard to believe, almost more so than any lie she could think of. While she'd been having her internal meltdown, Bellamy had straightened up, his face contorted in a way that suggested he'd just gotten muck stuck on the underfoot of his new boots.

He glared at her, sweat trickling down his forehead. "What the _hell_ was that?! What did you do?!" She just shook her head. "Nothing...I - I didn't _do_ anything. That…" Her eyes flickered to the side. "That was all you." His nostrils flared. He didn't believe. He took a step forward. "Now listen to me here _Princess,_ " She flinched at the nickname.

"Bellamy, stop." It was Octavia, once again stepping forward as her personal savior. She pressed a hand against her brother's chest, trying to get him to step away from her. He shook her away though, only giving her a split second of his attention before he continued to snarl down at the blonde. "Stay out of this O. As for _you…_ " He glared at her. "You're gonna tell me what you just did to me because I _never_ would've _submitted,_ " He hissed the word low. "To an _Ome_ \- "

She punched him.

Time stopped.

Her ears pricked at the sound of gasps and a few laughs sounding from all around her, but she didn't look to double check - she couldn't. Her eyes were glued onto the image of the boy in front of her - the _Alpha_ boy - who'd been knocked to the ground be the sheer amount of strength she'd packed behind the blow. Her outstretched hand dropped back down to her side numbly, the knuckles warm and stinging.

Bellamy's forehead was pressed against the grassy terrain, his once neat hair now frazzled so badly that curly tendrils drooped down, long enough to cover his face. One hand was clutching his face almost absentmindedly, while his other was resting against his head, his knuckles a shocking white as he tore at the grass with a death grip. He was shaking. His entire body was being wracked by vicious shivers of anger, his scent quickly turning thick and musky.

He was about to shift.

 _And when he does, he'll shred me to pieces._ The thought snapped her out of her stupor. _Not even Octavia will be able to protect me._ Before her brother had even managed to hit the ground, the brunette had rushed over to his side, wrapping her arms around him to catch him as he fell. Now, she was gripping the back of his shirt, her eyes wide. "Bell? Bell?!" Her gaze flickered up to lock with Clarke's. She expected hate, anger - _loathing._

All she saw though, was _fear_.

"Clarke, _run._ "

She did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Someone asked and yes, this is a G!p story and yes, it is also a Clexa story. If you want more detailed author's notes you can visit this story on the site Archive of Our Own, it's got the same title and everything and my username is the same so it shouldn't be difficult to find, and I made it so that guests can comment on the story too. That's all for now, enjoy!**

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She didn't make it far.

Slowly but surely, the other delinquents had started to crowd around the trio, beckoned forth by the commotion. They were watching the scene curiously, some moving away to avoid the chaos and others shuffling forward to get a closer look. While doing so, they'd crafted a crude circle around the small area, and she knew there would be no hope of shoving through the crowd of people in time to get away from Bellamy.

As if knowing that she was thinking about him, the Alpha boy snarled, his head finally raising up from off the ground. His caramel eyes were sharp, his pupils barely pinpricks of black as he bared his teeth. His entire body was trembling with anger, and not a second later his teeth flashed as they were replaced by growing fangs. Clarke took a step back, not caring that she'd bumped into someone and stepped on their toes in the process.

The teenage prisoner behind her snatched the tip of their boot out from under her's, muttering under their breath nastily. Whatever words they said were lost to her - her entire focus was on Bellamy. She watched as his limbs twisted in unnatural angles, bones snapping in half like twigs before growing back as something else, something _bigger._ He howled as the flesh lining his back tore and stretched, revealing thick muscles and small veins.

As quickly they were exposed, new skin grew in and covered them back up, fur sprouting from his entire body in thick, shaggy waves. Octavia, whom had taken a step away from her brother a second before he'd started shifted, gagged slightly at the sight, bringing her arm up so that she could tuck her nose into the crook of her elbow to avoid the smell. The blonde could taste the hint of copper and wet fur on her own tongue, but didn't bother covering her nose.

She'd be dead in a few minutes anyway.

At the thought, she started looking for another possible escape route, her blue eyes darting across the view of the forest around her. Forcing herself to ignore the breathtaking beauty, she could feel her stomach constrict into painful knots when she realized that there was no way out. _So this is it then?_ She thought to herself, her heart stuttering in her chest. _I'm gonna di-_ Her wolf growled at her, hackles raised and fangs bristling.

She could almost hear it growling at her. _:Don't finish that sentence:_ The blonde shook her head, sweat trailing down the back of her neck at the action. She didn't want to give herself false hope, but she didn't want to argue with the creature either. Besides, maybe it wasn't so much false hope as an actual chance. The wolf's instincts were almost never wrong, and it lived - _breathed_ \- to ensure the safety of its human. Her wolf would protect her.

The thought reassured her, and she felt steady on her feet again. The animal inside of her huffed in approval, and a second later she swore she felt the phantom of fur nuzzling against her face, the giant body of her beast brushing against her side as its tail whisked around her waist protectively. When she glanced to her side though, there was nothing there, only empty space. _What…?_

She didn't have time to dwell on the matter though. The hair lining the back of her neck and covering her arms shot up in alarm, and a shiver slithered down her spine as her ears pricked. Without even noticing it, the sound of bones cracking and arteries tearing then regrowing had stopped, leaving only deafening silence. Slowly - knowing that if she moved too fast she would risk setting him off - she turned to look at Bellamy.

The moment she did, she struggled to hide the fear that she was sure showed in her eyes. He was _huge._ All of their wolves were. A normal wolf was about three feet high at the shoulders, reaching right above a person's knees, but they didn't morph to a normal wolf's size. When they shifted, their entire body broke - piece by piece - and then _grew._ When the transformation was done, their wolves were as big as the vehicles of the old world.

They could rise above any grown man's shoulders to tower above them: the largest size ever recorded having been eight feet at the shoulders, and ten at the head. Weighing in at roughly around five hundred fifty pounds, there'd never been a Werewolf bigger than that. None that the Council had ever let anyone know about, at least. Clarke growled at the thought, shaking her head. _Now's not the time to think about that._

Bellamy answered her growl with one of his one, the bridge of his snout crinkling as he lifted his chops and bared his teeth for everyone to see. She gazed at the rest of him. Standing before her, she could estimate that he was probably eight feet tall from the pads of his paws to the tip of his head. Most Werewolves docked in at six or seven feet maximum, but Bellamy was the exception, not just in height but in general physique as well.

His paws were larger - wider - and his muscles rippled underneath his gleaming coat with every breath. His jaw looked strong enough to easily snap a tree in half, and his fangs alone were longer than her finger. His wolf's fur was a beautiful russet color, black rings swathing his forehead and back while white tinged the underside of his muzzle. There were bright patches of auburn covering the rest of his body, and the sun caught his fur _just right_ so that his pelt _glowed._

The beauty was short lived as he snarled low in his throat, ears flicking from side to side. The small movements almost looked jerky, hesitant, _nervous_ \- but his brown irises burned with such a fire of determination that she told herself she was just seeing things. A lot of different things happened in the next few seconds. First, the wolf in front of her lunged, his paws outstretched as a deafening growl rolled off his tongue.

At the exact same moment, she heard her name being called, the yell so loud and filled with so many emotions that she almost choked. The sound was followed by a chorus of screams, two seconds of silence, and then a vicious howl. It only took a split second for both events to occur, and Clarke had no time to react. Instead, she found herself gasping as Bellamy's weight crashed down on her, a sickening _crack_ echoing them as she was slammed down on the ground.

The russet colored Werewolf huffed, the hot air blasting against her face. The young Griffin struggled against his grip, every cell in her body screaming at her. Even though she wasn't moving, the world around her looked like it was spinning - green mixing in with blue as shapes danced and darted across her fuzzy vision. She gasped, her lungs begging for air, before coughing. Nothing was right, everything was muddled, tampered - _wrong._

Inside of her, her she-wolf was pacing relentlessly, head tossing from side to side as it snapped its fangs together at any and everything, eyes wild, snarls rabid. _Fuck. Not now,_ please _not now._ She groaned in pain, shaking fiercely. She wouldn't be able contain the creature, not this time. The beast had been relenting itself from surfacing, but it sensed she was in danger now - _real_ danger - and if Clarke wouldn't fight for herself, then the she-wolf would fight for her.

Her animal reared its head back, maw parted and ears shoved forward. On the outside, she let out a strangled cry, fighting against the shift. It was no use though - her wolf was already making itself known. Her eyes started stinging, softly at first first, until the light simmer turned into a god awful _searing._ She grit her teeth in pain, knowing that her irises were turning from their usual soft sky blue to a blazing azure.

"Oh shit man! Her _eyes!_ " Her ears pricked at the sound of a random teenager's voice, and all around her she could practically _hear_ as all the delinquents took a synchronized step backwards - away from her. _:Good:_ Her inner wolf practically crooned. The beast wanted to fight the wolf who dare challenge her - who _dare_ attempt to _harm her human_ \- but Clarke's own instincts were at play too, and she didn't want to risk unnecessarily injuring someone.

The Alpha boy's grip on her loosened at the sight of her eyes, his own beast faltering in its movements. The caramel eyed animal started to lift the paw that was pressing down against her chest, but then froze. His chops twitched, tail whipping from side to side in agitation, before the paw fell back down on her with a quiet _thud._ She grunted at the pressure, growling. His animal wanted to back down - she could see it in his eyes - but Bellamy was fighting against it.

"Bad move." She snarled lowly, speaking barely above a whisper. The russet creature's ears twitched, having caught her words. She glared at him, gripping his front legs and _squeezing._ He yelped loudly, trying to jerk away, but unable to. Her nails split and cracked, her cuticles peeling away as her knuckles snapped and started reforming into needle sharp claws. Yanking him down, she growled against his ear. "You should've listened to your wolf Bellamy."

Her wolf chuffed in smug satisfaction as the Alpha boy's tail drooped, his ears laying flat as he pulled back his chops in a wide grimace. Not in defiance, but in fear. He was scared. So was she. Her wolf was surfacing, and there was no stopping it. _If I shift completely…_ She shivered at the thought. If she morphed, there would be no more keeping secrets. With the amount of pheromones at play - both fear and anger - her Omega dynamic was probably already blown.

One secret down.

One secret to go.

 _No._ She reminded herself hastily. _Two more to go._

 _Shit._ Clarke let out a strangled moan, bursts of numb pain lighting up her entire body. The shifting was hitting her at full force, and it _hurt_ like a _bitch._ Above her, Bellamy was whining, trying to run away, but she wasn't letting him. Her fingernails had completed transforming into deadly claws, and they were piercing the other wolf's flesh, cutting in through skin and muscle and skimming across bone - she could feel it. He wasn't going anywhere any- _::Stop::_

Clarke stiffened.

 _What the hell?_ The blonde blinked in surprise, whipping her head to the side. Even her wolf had loosened its grip on her from the shock of the new voice, temporarily halting the shift. _::Oh god please just stop, please_ please _just_ stop _::_ Her she-wolf snarled at the words, confused and angry, but she shoved the beast away. Looking around frantically, she tried to find out who'd just linked themselves to her. She spotted Octavia immediately.

The brunette was standing stock still, her eyes wide and fearful. Her whole body looked tense and coiled, ready to strike, but at the same time she looked paralyzed. Her arm was no longer covering her nose, but her hands were half clenched at her sides, fingers twitching and body trembling in small shivers. Not to mention, she was looking directly at her. Her friend's eyes turned the tiniest bit damp, and the voice sounded again. _::Don't hurt him, Clarke..._ please _::_

 _::I won't::_

It surprised her at how quick she responded.

Apparently, it surprised Octavia that she'd responded at all.

She'd thought it'd just been a myth - something of the old world that parents told their pups about as a nighttime story - but...it wasn't. They were telepathically linked. It was said that all packs had a telepathic link that they could use to communicate to one another. It could only be severed if a wolf left the pack, they died, or they were banished. It was sacred, and something that hadn't been active for the last hundred years.

And yet, her and Octavia were linked.

 _How?_ She never got an answer, instead, Octavia blinked at her, eyes hesitant. _::Clarke?::_ The blonde gave the slightest of nods. The youngest Blake gaped, before shaking her head. _::Well shit::_ The blue eyed criminal huffed in agreement. The moment was interrupted as Clarke's wolf barked at her, bringing her to attention. The shock of her and Octavia's link had allowed her to start coming down from her high, and her wolf was slowly turning docile once more.

The blonde startled, gasping in surprise when she felt her body settling back into its original form. She hissed slightly as her bones and muscles settled back into place, leaving a dull ache throbbing throughout her body. She'd regained control. Her relief at the fact lasted for about two seconds. Above her, Bellamy shook himself, the effects of her wolf on him disappearing. His eyes flashed with a deadly hostility, and he parted his maw, lunging down to snap at her neck.

A thunderous howl sounded.

Then a flash of color.

She blinked: Bellamy was gone.

It took her a second to process everything that'd happened - the events having transpired so fast that she had no idea who'd done what or where she was anymore. A pair of hands landed on her shoulders, tugging at her clothes, pulling her to her feet. She staggered, a headache pounding against her skull, but she shook it off. Craning her neck to the side, she looked over her shoulder to see who'd grabbed her.

"C'mon Griffin, let's move _\- now._ "

"...O?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "No dumbass, it's Pocahontas - _yes it's me!_ " The Beta was trying to be humorous, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, but Clarke could tell it was forced. She huffed. "Let's just go." Her friend muttered, all traces of joking gone from her features. The blonde nodded, but then stopped herself. She pulled away from the brunette's grip. "Wait, Bellamy - what...what happened?" O flinched.

The Beta opened her mouth to reply, but instead looked over her shoulder. Clarke followed the direction of her gaze, feeling her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. Another wolf had pounced onto Bellamy, the force of the wolf's lunge having thrown them to the side. They'd tumbled down a small dip in the ground, and were currently rolling around in it with their claws unsheathed and fangs bared.

The newcomer was smaller than the oldest Blake, with a sharper snout and shorter fur. His pelt was pitch black, but his nose had spot of white on it, and his blue eyes glimmered like the sparkling ocean - or at least, what she assumed the ocean looked like when reflecting the sun. She wasn't certain, she'd never seen it before. Her thoughts were ripped from her as the ebony wolf snapped at the russet one, claws swiping at his opponent's muzzle.

The bigger wolf jerked back in pain, blood trickling down the left side of his snout in small rivulets. His tail curled as he snapped his fangs together, glaring at the black wolf. "Who…?" Clarke asked, head tilting sideways as she glanced at Octavia out of the corner of her eye. The brunette didn't need her to finish her sentence to know what she was asking. "His name's Atom." The blonde furrowed her eyebrows, and the Beta rolled her eyes.

"You know, the one I stopped from shifting, back in the dropship." The Omega whipped her head around - back to the sight of the two wolves - and eyed the ebony beast with a newfound interest. So _he'd_ been the one who'd started the whole shifting fiasco. _Huh._ She watched as Atom darted around Bellamy, using his smaller size and speed to his advantaged. The bigger wolf snapped at the other's ear, making the smaller wolf yelp in pain. A surge of anger filled her at the sound.

She moved to take a step forward and intervene, but Octavia grabbed at her wrist, holding her back. "Oh no you don't Princess -" She frowned. "Really, you too O?" Her friend ignored her. "We're getting the _hell_ away from here." Shaking her head, the blonde gestured back towards the two wolves brawling in the dip. "But what about -" The Beta just shook her head right back. "Don't worry about Atom, he can take care of himself."

She wasn't given anytime to argue, and just nodded her head as the brunette gripped her wrist and started forcefully pushing her way through the sea of delinquents surrounding them. They were all murmuring silently to themselves, a few glaring at Bellamy and Atom, while a few others sneered at her. They were at odds with themselves: they didn't know whether to interfere or let it be, and eventually just settled on watching and waiting.

Honestly, she couldn't blame them.

Octavia led them away, weaving and bobbing around people as they made their way farther and farther away from the fight with each step. She looked up, wanting to see where the brunette was taking her. "The dropship?" She asked, faltering slightly at the sight of the hulking structure. The Beta nodded, tugging her forward. "Yep. It's the safest place for you right now." They entered the ship, and she felt a chill grip her body at the familiar feeling of metal walls surrounding her.

"C'mon." Octavia said, letting go of her as she reached the ladder, hoisting herself upwards. "We need to get you to the third level." The blonde just hummed in agreement. Following her friend, she gripped the ladder, feeling her palm sting at the chilly bite of the steel railings as she did so. They climbed higher and higher, the brunette stopping twice to open up the hatches that blocked off each level, before finally reaching the top floor.

Clarke stepped off the ladder after the Beta, looking around the area. The whole space was filled with empty seats, buckles and clasps strewn about from when the delinquents had thrown them off in their rush to finally see the ground. More than a little tired, the blonde reached out for the chair nearest to her and plopped down on it, finally allowing herself to rest. Behind her, Octavia was closing the hatch, slamming it shut before grabbing the latch and locking it.

The brunette sighed, sitting down on the metal floor with a quiet gracefulness, gaze never leaving the sight of the hatch. The Omega closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the steel wall behind her with a silent _thud._ Her entire body ached with fatigue: the soles of her feet burned, her eyes stung behind her closed eyelids, and her teeth and fingertips throbbed painfully from when they'd shifted.

She just sat there, bearing through the pain as best she could. She could hear her friend panting slightly from where she sat, no doubt equally exhausted from everything that'd happened in the past twenty four hours. Suddenly, she heard the sound of shuffling, and she opened her eyes a crack to sate her curiosity. The second born Blake had stood up, and was walking over to her. She stiffened as the brunette got closer, but relaxed when she only took a seat next to her.

"God," Octavia groaned as she sat down, her back popping loudly as she arched her spine and let out a massive yawn. "I don't think I've ever felt this tired in my life." Clarke laughed, the action slightly painful as her throat was dry and sore, and so she settled for throwing her friend a small smile instead. When she received one in turn, the blonde patted her lap, offering herself as a crude pillow.

The brunette laughed, but shook her head. "I'll _definitely_ be taking you up on that offer later, but I...I have to check up on Bellamy." She winced. "O…" The words hurt her throat worse, but she bore through it, straightening up. "I...I'm sorry about Bellamy. I didn't mean to -" The Beta shook her head, resting a hand on the Omega's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. Bellamy...he overreacted. You were just protecting yourself."

"I still hurt him though." Her words earned a shrug in response. "He hurt you first. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but he can be something of a selfish dick sometimes." Octavia laughed ruefully. "He'll feel bad about attacking you, believe me. Just…" The young Blake trailed off, turning to give Clarke a weary smile. "Give him a chance, yeah?" She nodded - she owed the girl at least that much, and more - so, so much more.

Silence once again reigned between the two, but eventually the brunette sat up with a loud sigh, making her way back over to the hatch. The blonde followed her, the muscles in her legs screaming in pain at the movement, but she just grit her teeth and forced her limbs not to fall out from under her. Her friend leaned down, unlocking the latch, before she eased herself through the opening until her head was the only thing poking through.

Turquoise eyes locked with cobalt blue ones, and Octavia blew out an anxious puff of air before swallowing, nodding towards Clarke. She nodded back, watching as her friend started climbing down the ladder, pulling the hatch with her. Right before it closed over her head completely, she spoke, her voice muffled by the metal. "I'm gonna lock the hatch. When I'm back I'll uh...I'll use the link, 'kay? If I don't use the link, then don't open it."

The blonde nodded, before remembering that the brunette couldn't see her. "Okay." She said, feet shuffling nervously underneath her. Was the Beta expecting there to be trouble? The thought worried her, but then again, she _had_ just almost been killed by her best friend's brother. _Half brother._ Some part of spoke up, but she ignored it. Half brother or not, Octavia cared about Bellamy, and if he was hurt…

She sighed.

 _I can't deal with this right now._

Below her, the brunette had closed the hatch, the sound of the lock sliding into place making the hairs covering the back of the blonde's neck shoot up. She rolled her shoulders, shivering as goosebumps littered her skin at the action. Deciding to get more rest, she turned on her heel, making her way back to her vacated seat. As soon as she sat down though, her old headache pulsed inside the walls of her skull once more.

She rubbed at her temples, groaning. _Yeah, I_ definitely _can't deal with this right now._ She tried to force herself to relax, even going so far as to crane her neck and rest her forehead against the cold dropship walls in hopes of cooling her feverish headache down, but it didn't do anything to help. Her nerves were still on edge, and she could feel as a cold sweat started breaking out across her porcelain flesh, her skin suddenly burning hot.

 _Just perfect._ The last time she'd gotten sick had been months ago, but even as a prisoner she'd had at least _some_ access to the basic medical attention required. Down here though, she didn't have anything. Her immune system wasn't used to the bacteria of the ground, and she knew as well as anyone that, while down here, even a common cold could turn into a deadly infection within days.

The Omega's stomach twisted with unease at the thought, and she shed her jacket in hopes of getting cooler. She chose to instead use it as a cushion, and spread her body across multiple seats in a makeshift bed. She tossed as the metal parts of the chairs poked at her, grunting uncomfortably. Within a few minutes she'd repositioned herself on the ground, right next to the hatch, so that she could reach it faster when Octavia returned.

Sighing, she fell into a fitful sleep.

 _All she could see was darkness - darkness and the flash of pale blue eyes before they disappeared amongst the stars. She screamed, her throat raw and her lungs burning in pain. Everything around her spun - flashing colors and muffled sounds - until she didn't even know which way was up and which way was down. She cried out as she was slammed against something metal, sticky liquid dripping down the back of her head._

 _Her mind groggily registered that it was blood - dribbling down from her hairline and wrapping around her neck, like a noose. For a split second, she imagined that there really was a rope knotted around her neck and she reached up, gasping. Her fingertips were met with only blood. It was thick and warm, sticking to her fingers even as she tried to pull away. She looked down, glancing at her hands._

 _She regretted the action instantly._

 _Blood, blood, blood, blood - so much blood. She wanted to see red, she wished it were red, but she was met with black. Ink, charcoal, shadows - none of those things - only blood. The sight made her start shaking. Beads of sweat trailed down her body, and she snarled in pain. She reached out for something_ \- anything _\- but it was like she was clawing at air. Her vision spun endlessly, and soon enough she didn't even bother keeping her eyes open._

 _All the sudden, flashes of memories filled her head: a comforting hug, a quick kiss on the head, a small laugh, glowing eyes - all good memories. Then they turned into bad ones. Each smile: false, every 'I love you': fake - everything and all things: they'd never been real. Instead, images of flickering screens and a labyrinth of wires filled her vision. She could see it all, and she wished desperately that she couldn't._

 _Needles tore through skin, vials filled with blood, and flasks were overflowed with chemicals. Her ears pricked at the sound of low muttering: secrets being shared, progress being spoken over - it made her stomach turn and the very marrow in her bones_ burn. _She thrashed, moving and relentless - a blur of blonde and blue. Then all she saw was darkness. Then all she heard were screams: both of terror and anger._

 _Her body shook violently, bones snapped, muscles tore, ligaments shredded, fur bursted from her skin, and then she howled. The sound - loud like thunder booming with the roar of gunfire crackling in the background - made everyone around her tremble and quake before they fell: lower and lower. They bowed - submitting to her: for she reigned all. The beast stood tall - tall, tall, tall, tall -_ towering. _They growled, both girl and monster, as one - as death itself._

 _She could hear them murmur._

 _Alpha._

Clarke jerked awake, blue eyes flying wide open as she gasped. Her whole body trembled, fear and adrenaline clogging her veins. Something wet trickled down her face, resurfacing memories from the nightmare. She startled, her hands shooting up to wipe the blood away - wait no. She looked down at her fingers. _Not blood. Just sweat._ She let out a shaky sigh of relief, turning over so that she was resting on her side.

Forcing her breaths to even out, the blonde was momentarily deaf as her blood pounding against her eardrums, throbbing in sync with her racing heartbeat. Her fingers twitched at her sides, fidgeting. Another shiver raced down her spine, making her teeth chatter lightly, but she guessed it was better then feeling like she was on fire. Momentarily reminded about her brief sickness at the thought, she raised a hand up to press it against her forehead.

 _Fever's gone. That's good._ She was pulled away from her thoughts as another entered her mind. _::Clarke! Hey, you there Griffin::_ She jerked back at the unexpected voice in her head, but then forced herself to relax, sighing tiredly. _::Yeah, yeah I'm here O. You coming up::_ She asked. Her friend gave the affirmative, and she shuffled over towards the hatch, loosening the latch before tugging the small door open.

Octavia made her way through the opening a second later, followed by Atom and two other boys. One of them had an angular face but full cheeks, his black hair sweeping in one direction in a smooth curve all across his head. He looked kind of Chinese too. The other boy looked more gawky. He was thin - not so much bony - but his messy copper hair mixed in with the goggles propped atop his head and his lanky limbs gave away his goofy demeanor.

The sight of the boys surprised the Omega, but she didn't say anything. Looking over at the boy who'd rescued her from Bellamy, she noticed that there were small cuts and scrapes littering his cheeks, while a few nasty bruises had started to swell purple and blue around his left eye and near his jawline. His hair was mussed and spiky, sticking out in all directions, and once he'd stepped off the ladder he ran a hand through it to try and smooth the wild tresses over.

She gave a little frown, her inner doctor immediately starting to internally fuss over the wounds. She knew he would be okay though: their Werewolf genes helped them heal quicker and more efficiently. As a result, their saliva also held slight healing properties - nothing that would regrow a limb or bring someone back from the brink of death, but enough to ensure that the occasional deep wound didn't kill them.

Octavia's voice tore her from her thoughts a second later. "So, apparently Bellamy got his ass handed to him." The Beta jerked her head in the black haired criminal's direction. "Atom here went with the old 'wear him down until he doesn't have any juice left' tactic, and it actually worked. Big brother was sent away with his tail tucked between his legs." The young Blake sighed, plopping down next to the blonde. "Hopefully, he's calmed down and shifted back."

Clarke could only give her friend a reassuring nod. The brunette turned to look at her, smiling faintly, before her eyes flashed with concern and her grin fell. "Hey are you okay? You don't look so good…" The second born girl reached forward, fingertips skimming the Omega's forehead, before the blonde pulled away. "I'm fine." She snapped out. To harsh. To quick. The Beta frowned. "No, you're not. I know you Clarke - something's wrong."

She flinched at the words, but didn't deny them. Luckily, Atom saved her. Again. "So, what the hell did you drag me here for?" He didn't sneer, and his words weren't harsh - but he was closed off: curious and hesitant. He didn't trust them. She almost laughed at the thought. They were a bunch of criminals, trust was hardly anyone's top concern. The boy who she assumed was at least _part_ Chinese spoke up, defending them.

"Hey, why don't you lay off a little man? Obviously she's gonna explain everything soon." His lanky friend was quick to pipe in, throwing the two girls (but mostly Octavia) a foolish grin coupled with a small wink. "Yeah dude, give the two pretty ladies a second." The blonde almost rolled her eyes at his words, but oddly enough, a small smile also tugged at the corners of her mouth because of them.

The Beta, seeing that her friend seemed slightly better than she was five seconds ago, turned around to face the three boys. "First: introductions!" The brunette said, clapping her hands together. She pointed towards the copper haired boy, and then the other teen. "Jasper and Monty," O then nodded in the direction of her and Atom. "Meet Clarke and Atom. Clarke and Atom, meet Jasper and Monty."

The Omega parted her lips slightly, nostrils flaring as she took in the newcomer's scents. They did the same. Atom smelled like dirt and blood, but underneath the thick stench of his previous fight lied the aroma of leather and oil. The smells were slightly pungent, and very strong, but held the tiniest of sweet aftertastes. _:Alpha:_ Her wolf growled at her, the phantom of fur bristling along the back of her neck, but she pushed her animal's instincts away.

She turned her attention to Monty. Probing at his fragrance with a hesitant tongue, she pushed the aroma into her nostrils. At first, her nose stung as she detected slight hints of what she could only assume was crude weed and other illegal herbs, but then the scent softened into something relaxing. He smelt like fresh air and authentically grown spices, and she could feel every tense knot in her body smoothing over at the aroma. _He's definitely a Beta._

Jasper was the last one she identified. When she took in the scent of him, only one thought popped into her head. _Tantalizing._ She leaned closer towards him, breathing in deeply through her parted mouth. The fragrance of rich vanilla and - oddly enough - sweet sweat tickled the roof of her mouth, making her shiver. Immediately, she felt drawn towards him. Not with lust, but with kinship. _He's an Omega. Just like me._

The thought almost blew her away. She'd never met another Omega before. Her dynamic, coupled with her family's high status, had led to extra precautions being taken when around her. Alphas were rarely blamed for harming an Omega, but one with as high a ranking as her name gave her? Well, no one really wanted to take any chances with her, so they'd kept her away from most everyone else.

In all honesty, being thrown into a jail cell hadn't been much of a change from her life before that. When her first heat had hit, she'd been put into a Heat Chamber, but no other Omegas had joined her at the time. She'd always been somewhat suspicious of the fact, but her parent's had shrugged it off when she'd asked about it: her father a little more hesitantly that her mom. Point was, she'd never met another of her same dynamic.

Not until today, at least.

She was pulled away from her thoughts as Jasper yipped happily. "It's finally nice to meet another Omega who isn't Murphy." The goggled boy's face turned slightly sour as he spit out the name, though his eyes still twinkled with mirth. "He's an asshole. You're lucky you've never met him, believe me." She didn't want to, but she cracked a laugh at his words, heart stirring in her chest with warmth.

She'd only ever read about it before, but Omega's supposedly had a certain...connection, towards each other. They were naturally more open with someone of their same dynamic, and _very_ protective of each other. She guessed it came from the fact that most Alphas were abusive towards them, Betas only really tried to keep the peace and didn't do much more, and those who actually wanted to help were restricted by the Ark's harsh laws.

 _I guess that's what I'm feeling now._ Her wolf was also stirring inside of her, but for the first time in a long time, she hadn't been roused by anger. Instead, she could almost feel as the beast wrapped its entire body around her, tail wagging and happy barks nipping at her eardrums. She startled at the sensation, remembering how the exact same thing had happened right before she'd been attacked by Bellamy.

It was like the wolf was _outside_ of her body, and yet she couldn't see it - only feel its presence and every move it made. Briefly, she wondered if the others would be able to feel the beast if it brushed up against them to, but she refrained from acting on the thought. Instead, she wondered in the back of her mind who this 'Murphy' was. Realizing that she hadn't responded to the other Omega, she gave a hasty, weird half nod in his direction.

Octavia, seeing that the mood had turned slightly awkward, interrupted them once more. "Now that you guys have all gotten acquainted, I guess you're wondering why I brought you here." The brunette turned to look at Clarke. "I met Monty and Jasper back in the Skybox, when I would be let out of my cell for 'yard time'. They're my friends." The blonde blinked, slightly surprised, but glad to find out that at least one of them had more than one friend.

"Yeah." Monty laughed heartily, his smile slightly lopsided like Jasper's. "She was all shy at first - everyone thought she was basketcase - but we turned her into a monster." Octavia rolled her eyes, reaching over to swat the other boy's shoulder, but didn't deny his words. The Beta continued on, gesturing towards the black haired criminal who'd been silent so far, his gaze guarded yet curious at the same time.

"I didn't know Atom before this, but he saved your life like, five minutes ago." She nodded. "I remember. Thanks for that, by the way." The boy only spared her a quick glance, but dipped his head in her direction in acknowledgement. "Sure, whatever. Look, what does any of this have to do with anything?" He was resting against one of the dropship walls, arms crossed, but he pushed away from it at his own words, looking ready to bolt.

 _It's almost like he's nervous._ She thought to herself, head tilting to the side in curiosity. Then again, he was surrounded by people who mostly knew each other, he probably felt like the odd one out. _I can relate._ The youngest Blake cocked an eyebrow at his actions, Monty discretely pumping out soothing pheromones in an attempt to relax the tense atmosphere. Finally though, the female Beta spoke.

"We want you to join our pack - all of you."

One second of silence.

Then another.

Clarke turned to look at her best friend, having not expected her words. She didn't want to seem outright opposed to the idea, but she couldn't help but sputtering quietly. "We do?" The brunette nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. In front of them, the three boys were having mixed reactions. Jasper looked excited, his ears pricked and a wide smile complementing his glowing dark brown irises.

Monty looked curious more than anything, his head tilted to one side as he drummed his fingers against his thighs in thought. The male Beta's eyes flickered over to look at the goggle wearing boy, and she noticed that they soften as soon as they landed on him. Her wolf practically purred at the sight, startling her. She looked more closely at the pair, but still couldn't understand why her beast had reacted to them like she had.

Giving up, she craned her head over to look at Atom. The boy looked even more guarded then he had before, with cold sapphire eyes and the bridge of his nose slightly crinkled. Even so, she noticed that his ears were pricked a tiny bit, and he hadn't run away at the suggestion, so that was a good sign. At least, she hoped it was. "Why?" It was her rescuer that broke the silence, his voice soft and smooth.

"You've already proven you can fight." Octavia said, and then turned towards Clarke. "And if more people snap the way Bellamy did, I don't want her left unprotected." Immediately, the blonde bristled at the words, not fighting her wolf as the creature snapped angrily at the statement. Before she could say anything though, the brunette raised her hands in a 'let me finish' gesture, only lowering them once the Omega complied and clamped her mouth shut.

"Clarke, you _know_ that I don't think you're dynamic defines you, but I don't want to take any chances, okay? And if you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. Please? It would make me feel a lot better." The Beta batted her eyelashes slightly, a small twist of her lips that she knew the blonde wouldn't be able to resist gracing her mouth. The older of the two huffed, rolling her eyes, but then nodded her head in agreement. "Fine."

Gratefully accepting the answer, Octavia jerked her head in the other two boys' direction. "Also, Monty and Jasper are their own pack, so they know way more about having one then we do." Now _that_ caught the Omega's attention. "You guys are a pack?" She blurted out without thinking, her mind racing a mile a minute. If it were true, then that meant her and O _weren't_ the first pack to be formed in over a century. It also explained why they were so close.

Jasper chuckled, throwing her a wink as he popped his goggles over his eyes. "Yep, we're linked and everything." The second born Blake smiled wickedly. "Oh they're not just linked - they're each other's _imprint._ " Monty flustered at the comment, hissing under his breath. "Octavia! _Not_ cool - that's _personal information._ " The brunette just rolled her eyes, waving his words away with her hand. "Oh whatever, you dork. She would've figured it out eventually."

The male Beta glared at her lightly, before turning away, huffing under his breath. "Still not cool." Next to him, Jasper threw his arm around the other boy's shoulder, laughing at him as he ruffled his hair. "Chill Monty. It's fine!" Mud brown eyes flickered up to look at the gangly teen, and once again, they softened until they were practically mush. Finally, Clarke was able to identify the emotion dancing inside his orbs: love.

It made her smile.

Everyone had an imprint, but it was rare that they ever found each other. Especially since someone could imprint on a person, but then that person could fail to return it. If you both imprinted though, you were considered extremely lucky, and were taught to cherish each other every second of your life. _No one_ could harm another's imprint - it was their most absolute of laws - and even any harm that came to an imprinted Omega was punishable by death.

But then, she wondered, why would they ever join their pack? Once packs were formed they were solid - unmovable. One pack couldn't just _join_ another, not unless the Alphas deliberately made an alliance, but even so… "Do you guys have an Alpha?" Clarke asked, her tongue still slightly loose. The two imprints turned to look at her, before Jasper shook his head. "Nah. Me and Monty are...equal, y'know? Besides, it's just us two so we never really needed one."

The blonde nodded, but she'd stopped listening once she'd heard that one word. _Equal._ Her fingers twitched against her legs as she rocked her clamped jaw back and forth. She'd never experienced equality - not really, not unless it was with Octavia - but it sounded so _freeing._ She yearned for it, and inside of her, her wolf demanded it. Monty's voice snapped her out of her stupor. "Why do you ask?'

She shook her head. "Just curious. I didn't think it was really possible for packs to merge without the Alphas' consent, but if you guys don't have an Alpha, well…" She let her words hang in the air, and the two criminals nodded. For the first time in a short while, Atom piped up, adding his own voice in the matter. "So what, that's it? Just exchange a few laughs, get a slap on the back, and we're a pack now?"

Next to her, the youngest Blake grit her teeth. "Look, you don't _have_ to join if you don't want to. I just thought you might appreciate the invitation, but if you don't, then the exit is that way." She pointed her finger towards the hatch, turquoise eyes as hard as steel. Atom's hands clenched at his sides, his his brows furrowing in thought, before he spoke. "No, I'm good." The brunette gave him one second to say anything else, before she nodded.

Clarke turned back towards the imprinted teenagers. "So what about you guys then? Will you join?" Monty raised both his hands in the air, his index fingers erect in a 'give us a second' gesture as he turned and whispered into Jasper's ear. She waited patiently, watching as they murmured to each other in low voices before finally coming to a decision. Moving in sync, they both flashed her smiles. "Hell yes we're in."

Laughing triumphantly, Octavia gave a small fist pump. "Yes! I knew you guys would." The male Beta rolled his eyes, while his lanky counterpart stuck his tongue out at O good naturedly. Still cautious around them, but slightly less frosty, Atom cracked a small smile at their antics before he spoke up, asking the question on all of their minds. "So, who's going to be Alpha then?" A deathly silence followed his words.

Five pairs of eyes darted around the room, flickering over one person before jumping to the next - everyone waiting for one of them to speak up. Nobody did though. "It shouldn't be based off of dynamic." The female brunette finally said, shifting her legs. She gave Atom a pointed look. "Just because someone's naturally born with the drive to lead doesn't mean they really have what it takes."

To his credit, the boy's only reaction was to lift his hands up in mock surrender, no other action showing that he'd taken any offense from the words. "Well we all know I'd probably have Monty brewing up Moonshine every night if I were in charge - we wouldn't get anything done." Jasper said, flushing slightly. Monty knocked against his shoulder with his own. "Don't say that - you'd probably be a great Alpha." They shared a smile.

Their love was cute - really, it was.

But Clarke almost gagged.

 _God, now I know what people mean when they say love is endearing._ Next to her, Atom and Octavia were expressing the same reaction - their eyes showing their happiness for the two while the rest of their face was screwed up in mild disgust. Knocking his goggles against his imprint's head lightly, Jasper asked, "What about you Monty? Wanna be Alpha?" The male Beta scoffed, a lazy grin etching on the corner of his lips.

"I'm a Beta." He finally said, locking eyes with Clarke and Octavia. "I don't think I'd be able to stay sane with that kinda weight on my shoulders." They both nodded in understanding, turning to instead look at each other. The blonde could feel her heart swell with both excitement and dread when she saw the emotions shining in her friend's eyes. The illegally born Blake couldn't be Alpha - plain and simple.

She was too curious - too hungry for freedom and adventure. Making her the leader of the pack would do nothing but drag her down, it'd be too much like her old life of hiding under the floorboards. The weight of the role would crush her. The Omega sighed, leaning against the brunette in a small show of comfort. Looking up, she saw everyone else gazing at the two - at _her._ They already knew - they could probably see it in their eyes.

Atom nodded, craning his neck to look at each and everyone one of them in the eyes. "Alright then, it's decided." He looked back towards her. "Clarke's the Alpha." Jasper cocked his head to the side, his brows furrowed slightly. "How would that even work?" He asked, curious. "I mean, I don't think there's ever been an Omega pack leader before, y'know?" He suddenly grew excited. "It's like we're making history!"

Next to her, Octavia laughed, but didn't say anything. Atom nodded his head in agreement, running a hand through his hair lazily, while Monty grew a questioning look on his face at the gawky teen's words. "It's true." He gestured towards her. "Do you think you'll still be given the timbre, even though you're not a born Alpha?" At first, she jerked back at the words, as if they'd physically stung her.

No one else noticed, but Monty's eyebrows shot up, slight alarm showing on his face. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay, but she just shook her head, giving him a 'not now' gesture. He frowned, but obeyed. After all, Alpha's word was law. The Omega looked away from him and rolled her shoulders, pushing back the bad memories that the male Beta's words had brought forth. Instead, she pondered over his question.

Alpha's were born with the drive to lead, but no amount of natural pheromones could ever force someone to do something if they really didn't want to. With the timbre though, it was different. Having a dominant dynamic made you naturally strong, but being the Alpha of a pack made you even stronger. For those who led a pack, they developed a special trait: the timbre. Apparently, it came from the dormant part of the wolf inside a person's body.

All wolves had one, but it was only unlocked once they became the leader of a pack. With the timbre, a person could literally force someone to follow their orders, _even if_ they didn't want to. At first, there'd been a law against anyone ever using the timbre, since its power was equivalent to that of mind control, but the law had soon fell when a small flaw had been discovered in the power.

It was extremely hard to do, and those who fell into the skillset were considered the rarest of all gems - but the timbre's hold could be broken, if one had enough willpower. _The law also fell because no one's been the Alpha of a pack for over a hundred years._ She reminded herself. It was true: ever since the world had been bombed and the Ark had been born, no one had ever been able to form a pack ever again.

Authority and power had resorted to being chosen through the more human ways: voting and democracy, instead of through their wolves' monarchy of brute strength. Although, dynamics still managed to be at play the whole time. She could feel her wolf bristle at the thought, and she fought the urge to bare her teeth. Instead, she forced her focus back onto her pack. Octavia was staring off into the distance, ears pricked to hear their words, but looking bored.

Monty and Jasper had sat down and were quietly fooling around, playing a weird version of footsy as they knocked their shoes against one another while poking at the other with their fingers, silently laughing the whole time. Atom on the other, looked like he was actually thinking over what the other boy had said. She decided to break the silence. "I don't know." She said, directing her words as an answer to the male Beta's previous question.

"I think that's the least of our worries though. We can't play by the same rules down here as we did on the Ark - things _are_ going to change. The biggest things to focus on are food, water, and shelter - _those_ are the things we need to think about if we want to survive down here." Her pack all nodded, looking thoughtful at her words. "Alright," Octavia spoke up, tilting her head back to lock gazes with her. "But what about the rest of the Hundred? Some of them won't listen to you."

She clicked her teeth together lightly. It was true - they _wouldn't_ listen to her. Most of them had probably figured out that she was an Omega, and if they didn't already know, well - the news would most definitely spread fast. That alone would give them reason to ignore anything she said. Letting them know she was the Alpha of a _pack_ though...that would definitely help make her words echo.

 _Still…_

She shook off the thought, her attention instead being stolen by Jasper as he spoke up again, a concerned look etched across his features. "They won't like it, you know: when they find out that an Omega is leading a pack. What if they challenge you?" His dark brown eyes connected with her own sky blue ones, his brows furrowing. "Do you think you could make them submit, like you did Bellamy?"

She almost flinched at the words, but considered them. Next to her, Octavia's lips were pursed in a thin line, her fingers fiddling with the ends of her tresses in thought. Before the blonde could respond to the other Omega's words, the brunette spoke up, irises gazing at her almost suspiciously. "How _did_ you make Bellamy submit?" Veins running cold, Clarke stilled at the statement.

Finally, shrugging it off, she looked away. "I guess I'm stronger than I look." This time, it was Atom that narrowed his eyes at her. "No offense Princess, but it isn't physically _possible_ for an Omega to overpower an Alpha - your dynamic doesn't have the type of pheromones for that kind of stuff." Slight anger bristling, she growled low in her throat at her words. In that instant, something flickered - the air crackled, _popped -_ and a jolt of energy shot through her.

She grunted in pain, doubling over slightly, before catching her breath. Her skin _burned_ like _fire -_ and a cold sweat was suddenly drenching her forehead. The air around her was thicker - muskier - and as she took in a deep breath, she realized that the pheromones being released into the air were _her's._ They didn't taste like her's though. She knew her own scent: warmth and a refreshing chill of sharp vanilla mixed with the ever present aroma of medicine.

These pheromones tasted nothing like that.

Her nostrils flared, taking in the new fragrance. She could still scent the vanilla, but it was sharper, _crisper -_ and it stung her lungs almost painfully. The warmth of the aroma had turned into a sweltering heat like that of a raging forest fire, and the smell of medicine was completely vacant. Instead, it was replaced by the abhorrent odor of _blood._ She almost coughed at the flavors that touched her tongue, but bit down on the side of her cheek to stop herself.

Looking up, her wolf buzzed to life at the sight of Atom before her - on his _knees._ His body was trembling, but without the usual rage that followed. Instead, he looked slightly ashamed, a small sliver of his visible as he tilted his chin towards the dropship ground, eyes downcast. Pain hit her in the chest when she realized what she was doing - what she was _forcing_ him to do. Immediately, she pulled back her pheromones.

The Alpha boy grunted, his whole body sagging as the weight of her pheromones left him. He leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Monty scooted over to him, asking him if he was okay. Jasper lingered back, eyes darting between her and Atom. Next to her, Octavia was asking her something, hands on her shoulders as her worried irises darted all across her body, making sure she wasn't hurt.

Clarke just shook her head, cradling her head in her hands. A few minutes passed of them just trying to collect themselves, before the Omega spoke, locking eyes with the only Alpha of the pack. "Sorry." Her voice was slightly raspy, but she ignored it. "I just - I don't know what happened…" Running a hand through his flopper copper tresses, Jasper muttered low under his breath. "I do."

Ears pricked, she turned to look at him with wide eyes, as did everyone else. "What do you mean?" The second born Blake asked, just as eager for an explanation as the rest of them. The goggled teen looked slightly uncomfortable with all the attention directed towards him, but with a reassuring nod from his imprint, he started explaining. "Well, since I was an Omega I would have to stay in my quarters a lot. Better safe than sorry, right?"

The blonde's she-wolf jolted inside of her, urging her to get closer to the boy - to comfort him. She listened. Scooting over to his side, she pressed against his shoulder. With only a split second of hesitation, he leaned into the touch. Octavia and the other two boys followed her lead and crowded all around each other closely, like a true pack supporting one another. Jasper continued speaking,

"Monty used to always sneak my these books from the library, to keep me busy. One of them was about dynamics and stuff - a lot of crap that I didn't understand." He chuckled. "But then it started talking about packs and stuff, which got me interested. It mentioned that when someone becomes an Alpha, they get this...boost, or something. It's like, their senses go into overdrive and their wolf adjusts them to their role, right?"

The male Omega paused for a second, then shrugged. "I didn't understand a lot of it, but that's the part that stood out to me. I never thought it could happen to an Omega though." He shared a lopsided grin with Clarke. "Guess our dynamic isn't as weak as everyone makes it out to be, huh?" She knocked her shoulder against his playfully. "Damn right." She said, making her pack chuckle.

Looking over towards Atom, she frowned regretfully. "I'm still sorry though, I didn't mean for that to happen." He shrugged it off. "It's fine - guess I deserved it." Monty cocked an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?" Octavia huffed a little. "Because he was wrong. He said on Omega wasn't physically capable of making an Alpha submit, but now we know that's not true." The male Beta blinked.

"Well, that's not entirely true." Turning back to look at the blonde, he gestured towards her. "Clarke _just_ got her boost - she didn't have it back when she made Bellamy submit." It took a second for everyone to process, but soon enough they realized that he was right. She almost groaned. _Can't you guys ever just drop a subject?"_ She wracked her brain for an explanation, before remembering something of her own past.

"He's still wrong." She said without thinking, grabbing everyone's attention. Atom furrowed his brown at the accusation, but kept silent. They waited for her explanation. Internally cursing herself for having a big mouth, she was surprised when she didn't stumble through her words.

"You're right, a normal Omega doesn't have the amount of pheromones it takes to make someone submit, but our pheromones are actually _more_ potent than an Alphas." She was grasping for any and every little fact she'd learned about dynamics back on the Ark, added to what she'd learned from the Council. "We don't have to overpower anyone, we just have to...override their senses."

"And that would work?" Atom asked, looking genuinely curious. She nodded. "It's happened: once before." _That_ got their attention. "Really?" Monty asked, leaning in closer. The others looked equally as interested in what she had to say. "Her name was Becca. She was part of the 13th Station, before it joined the Ark. She did something illegal, and the Guards tried to stop her, but she fought back - made them submit. They were all Alphas."

"And she was an Omega?" Jasper asked, double checking. She nodded. He whistled lowly. "Impressive." Next to him, his imprint nodded in agreement. "I've never heard about her before." Atom said, questioningly. Monty and Jasper both spoke in sync, "Me neither." For a second, the two shared an odd look, before they smiled and lifted their hands, looking like they were about to high five before they each clapped their own hands.

Only giving the odd exchange a brief tilt her of head, Clarke looked away. Finally, Octavia broke the silence. "How do you know about this?" The blonde considered lying, but then shook the thought off. "The Council told me." She said truthfully. The brunette looked like she wanted to asked more questions, but the Alpha boy spoke up. "What happened to her then? Did they catch her?" The blonde shook her head.

"No. She got away...took a pod, I think. They said she had some some stuff with her when she ran away: lab equipment and such. Apparently, her 'illegal activities' had been of her conducting an unauthorized experiment. No one knows what she'd been experimenting on - guess she wanted to keep that a secret." Monty frowned. "Wait, so she committed suicide by Earth? What could've been so important that she'd died to keep anyone from ever knowing about it?"

The female Omega shrugged, sighing. "I don't know - that's all the Council ever told me." Octavia hummed in thought. "Are you related to her?" The blonde blinked. "What?" Her friend rolled her eyes, poking at her leg. "I asked if you were related to her. I mean, if you were, then maybe whatever genes she had were passed down to you - hence your wicked strength." Turquoise irises stared up at her, curious - trusting.

"No."

 _Liar._

She grit her teeth, hoping that no one else had noticed the action. They hadn't. It was the first time she'd ever lied to Octavia, and she hated it. Then again, it hadn't been a _complete_ lie. Inside of her, the she-wolf cooed at her gently, sensing its human's rolling emotions. She sighed, but gratefully accepted the animal's phantom nuzzles. She wasn't even affected by the sensation anymore. Instead, she drew comfort from it.

Looking around her, she watched her pack. Atom had finally opted to sit down, and was leaning against one of the dropships walls with his arms propped behind his head and his eyes closed. Following his lead, Monty and Jasper had both moved over to rest on a chair, although they were more so sitting on each other's laps than actually sitting on the seat. They spoke in hushed whispers, before they went silent and the male Beta wrapped his arms around the Omega.

She felt a pat on her leg, and look back to side to watch as Octavia shifting around. "Scooch Griffin." The brunette said, leaning down to sprawl across the dropship floor as she rested her head on the blonde's lap. She obeyed without comment, her hands automatically falling as she started running her fingers through her friend's tresses. The youngest Blake sighed in content, slowly drifting off with a purr rumbling low in her throat.

Soon enough, Clarke was the only one left awake. She looked around, feeling her heart ache painfully at the sight of her pack all sleeping peacefully. Her wolf shared the same emotions, and she could hear the beast whine in sadness. They had no idea what they'd gotten themselves into. They'd made her their Alpha - they _trusted_ her - and she knew that in time, they would come to regret it. With that thought in mind, she closed her own eyes, forcing herself to rest.

Even in her sleep though, she could still hear the ghosts murmur.

 _Alpha._


End file.
